IXL

HOMEWORK:

Students should be working at home on English/Language Arts IXL assignments EVERY day for at least 10 minutes, if electronic device/internet access is available. 

IXL work replaces most of the traditional 'worksheet' homework for our classes. Students receive immediate feedback on concept misconceptions and are able to, for the most part, work at their own pace (making sure to meet 'check-point' deadlines along the way).

On Fridays, after weekly/biweekly assessments are completed, students receive the remaining time in class to work on ELA IXL sections, but are still expected to work at least 10 minutes per day on IXL outside of class in order to stay up-to-date with their current IXL assignments/deadlines.

Boys' Basketball Tryouts

There's been a bit of confusion regarding the 2017-2018 Boys' Basketball Tryouts.

Tryouts for 6th graders will be held NEXT Monday and Tuesday (10/16-10/17) from 3:30 to 5:30.

:)

Storytelling Festival

The Storytelling Festival is tomorrow! (I don't know about the kids, but we teachers are SUPER excited! We are excited to take our students on their first Field Trip of the year!:) 

Reminders: 

- Students will NOT be permitted to bring/use their electronic devices. (RCMS admin will be available if emergencies arise.) 

- Students MAY bring a blanket, water bottle, etc. for use during the festival. (Students may NOT bring big backpacks, but may carry belongings in a smaller cinch sack or something equivalent. )

- Students need to dress weather-appropriate! Dress in layers, as it will be cooler in the morning, but should warm up nicely by the afternoon. 

- Students MUST either bring a packed lunch from home or pick up a sack lunch from the Cafeteria before they will be allowed on the bus. (Students may pack snacks and/or bring money for the concessions.)

CASE Testing

The first round of CASE testing snuck up on us a little bit this year! Kiddos completed the Math CASE test on Monday morning and the Reading CASE test this morning. The CASE test is what RCMS uses as a benchmark assessment (the elementary schools use MAP) to determine students' strengths, weaknesses, and growth in math and reading. We should receive the kiddos' CASE results within a couple of weeks. Those results will be shared with the students, and we will analyze the information together.

All of the 6th grade teachers agreed that most all of our 6th graders showed a great deal of effort while completing the CASE assessments. :)

Parent/Teacher Conference Handout

During Parent/Teacher Conferences, Mrs. Mason and Mrs. Mann provided parents/guardians with a handout that provided tips parents/guardians can use to help their student improve his/her ELA skills. Key points from the handout can be found below:

Infinite Campus (IC)
Parents (and students) are encouraged to download the Infinite Campus app (IC) to view students’ current grades, missing assignments, etc. Instructions on how to install and sign-in to IC can be obtained in the RCMS front office or off of the Rowan County website.

Remind
If you have not yet signed up for your ELA teacher’s REMIND text messages, please consider doing so. Contact Mrs. Mason or Mrs. Mann for the instructions or visit our blog!

What can done at home?
* Encourage your child to read. Reading independently helps build students’ vocabulary, aids in reading comprehension, and improves fluency. It is hands down the single most powerful thing students can do to improve their ELA skills.

* Remind your student to study their daily bell work. Students are given five Language Mechanics bell work questions at the beginning of each class (M-Th). The correct answers are then given (and written out on the SmartBoard) every day.  Every day, two of the five questions require students to make corrections to sentences. On Fridays, kiddos are tested (multiple choice) over eight of the twenty bell work questions they were presented with during the week.

* Have students memorize and practice Word Stems. Students are given eight word stems every other Monday. Every other Friday, they are tested over the definition of each word stem, as well as asked to correctly use each one in a sentence (multiple choice).

Wish List Supplies
Clorox Wipes
Colored Pencils
Band-Aids
Color Copy Paper
Glue Sticks
Individually wrapped candy

IXL Grammar Homework Assignment

IXL: Grammar Homework Assignments

This year, you will be using IXL (IXL.com or IXL app) to complete grammar homework assignments for your English/Language Arts (ELA) class. You will begin working on NOUN skills and, by the end of the year, work your way through at least six total parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and conjunctions. 

Because many 6^th graders’ language skills are below average, and to ensure that all students receive the appropriate foundational instruction before they attempt grade-level content, all students will be required to work through several different levels of specific language skills.  

You will receive formative assessment credit (.25 pts) for each section successfully completed with a score of 85 or above, with a minimum of 20 questions attempted. Once you have completed ALL of the teacher recommended sections for one part of speech, you will take an in-class summative assessment over that content and then proceed on to the next part of speech as outline below. (This will allow students to somewhat work at their own pace.) 

Directions:

1.   Login to IXL by going to www.ixl.com/signin/rowancountyms
    
2.   Begin by working on the recommended IXL NOUN levels/sections (see spreadsheet on back).
   
3. ALL 61 sections must be completed by teacher-specified due date. (Right now we are shooting for the end of the 9-weeks, but may adjust that based on student needs.)
   
4. You must attempt at least 20 questions per section AND achieve a score of 85 or higher on that section before moving on to the next recommended section.
    
5. You MUST complete the sections in order, starting with the sections in Level C.
    
6. Once ALL NOUN levels have been completed, you will complete an in-class summative assessment over nouns. Then, you’ll be released to work on the next part of speech! 
7. ALL NOUN sections need to be completed by the end of the 1st nine weeks.

Veterans Day Essay

Veterans Day Essay Assignment 

Prompt:  Hearing rousing speeches to honor the military is a frequent occurrence on Veterans Day. What do you think are some of the important elements of a Veterans Day speech? Who would be a good candidate to make such a speech and why?

            This year for the Veteran’s Day Essay assignment students need to write a 5 paragraph essay on the assigned topic above. (Remember a paragraph is considered 5-8 sentences). The essay should be well thought out and written with complete sentences. (The essay will be graded using the scoring rubric outlined on the Homework page.) Students may type their essays, but it is not required. The top essays will go on to compete in the school-wide competition. If students wish to be considered for the Veterans Day Essay Contest, their essay MUST be submitted by Friday, Sept. 15^th.  ALL other essays MUST be submitted by Friday, September 29^h.

Homework

Throughout the year, students will be assigned several out-of-class/homework assignments. Some of these will be short-term assignments (due within a day or two) and others will be long(er)-term assignments (due within a week or more). 

Some of the homework will be completed via a computer or electronic device, and other homework will be assigned via a handout or copied document. 

If a student loses or misplaces his/her paper copy of the homework assignment, they may print an additional copy off of here (from the 'Homework' page on the right-hand side bar) or they may attend morning or afternoon tutoring with Mrs. Mason or Mrs. Mann to obtain an additional copy.  

This year all formative assessments (including most homework assignments) will be worth approximately 20% of a student's grade, with summative assessments holding 80ish% of his/her overall grade. 

Mrs. Mason's September Classroom Newsletter

Mrs. Mason's ELA September Classroom Newsletter (click below).

September Newsletter

Bell Work (and Weekly Bell Work assessments)

Everyday Bell Work 2017-2018
  
On most Mondays-Thursdays, students will complete Bell Work designed to learn, practice, and reinforce language mechanics (grammar) skills. (6th grade students will take a Language Mechanics assessment as part of their end-of-the-year KPREP standardized test.  On Fridays, students will then be tested over the concepts/questions they completed the previous M-Th. 

An online copy of the Evan-Moor Grade 6 Daily Language Review workbook we use in class can be found here: Evan-Moor Grade 6 Daily Language Review

Students may use this online resource to help study for weekly Bell Work assessments, as well as catch up on Bell Work they may have missed if they were absent from class. Correct answers are found at the very end of the document beginning on page 118. 

Students may ask either Mrs. Mann or Mrs. Mason to find out which 'Week' of questions are currently being covered. 

Happy Learning!  

***Weekly Bell Work assessments will begin 9/5-9/8.